Etobicoke York Community Council notes

Humberwood homeowners cited by the city for illegally widening their driveways will learn at an upcoming meeting whether their properties will be exempted from the city’s bylaw.

Etobicoke York Community Council voted Tuesday to approve its’ and city municipal licensing and standards’ staff recommendations to prepare a zoning bylaw amendment to deal with the issue so existing conditions can be made lawful.

Councillors also affirmed staff’s recommendation to give notice for a public meeting to discuss the option of “grandfathering” or exempting the non-compliant properties from the city bylaw governing driveway widths.

City licensing staff responded in fall 2011 to complaints of suspected violations of driveway widths against homeowners on Topbank Drive, as well as on neighbouring streets, in the Humberwood neighbourhood bounded by Hwy. 427, Humberline Park, Humberwood Boulevard and Morningstar Drive.

City municipal licensing and standards staff investigated and issued notices of infractions for driveway widths, soft and hard landscaping, as well as lack of delineation between driveways and walkways.

In all, city staff investigations cited and issued 58 notices of violations.

Mayor Rob Ford and his brother, area Councillor Doug Ford, held meetings with residents in September and in November 2011 to clarify options available to residents to become bylaw compliant.

City staff agreed to a one-year extension period from the date of the notices of violations for affected homeowners to bring their properties into compliance with city bylaws.

During that period, some homeowners voluntarily complied, but 32 property owners took no action to resolve their non-compliance, a city staff report indicates.

Last October, Ford held another meeting with residents to discuss the option of “grandfathering” affected properties with a further extension of the grace period to become compliant before this week’s community council meeting.

Councillors voted to reduce posted traffic speed limits on three north and central Etobicoke streets this week.

Etobicoke York Community Council voted Tuesday to accept city transportation staff recommendations to drop the speed limits through sections of Albion Road, Stoneham Road and Waterbury Drive Road.

The speed limit will be reduced from 60 kilometres per hour to 50 km/h on Albion Road between Bankfield Rive and Todd Brook Drive after city transportation staff received a request from Etobicoke North Councillor Vince Crisanti on behalf of the local Business Improvement Area to reduce the speed.

A city staff conducted 24-hour vehicle speed and volume study of that section of Albion Road indicated average vehicle speeds between 55 km/h and 60 km/h. Staff reported the study data indicated a 50 km/h speed limit is warranted.

“What differentiates these sections of road from some other portions of Albion Road and Islington Avenue is the concentration of driveways to both the commercial and residential areas,” a December city staff report indicates. “The speed limit reduction is intended to reflect this difference in the adjacent land use which is more typical of locations with 50 km/h speed limits.”

The speed limit will be dropped from 50 km/h to 40 km/h on local two-lane Stoneham Road in the residential area between Mill Road and Old Burnhamthorpe Road after Councillor Doug Holyday’s office received a request from an area resident to investigate vehicle speeds on the street.

A speed and volume study conducted by city staff indicated 85 per cent of vehicles studied in the period travelled at a speed of 35 km/h, meeting the city’s 40 km/h speed limit warrant.

Similarly, a 40 km/h speed limit will be enacted on Waterbury Drive between Martin Grove Road and Redgrave Drive.

City staff’s study of the street triggered by a request from an area resident indicated 85 per cent of vehicles travelled 52 km/h during the study period.

Study data applied to the city’s 40 km/h speed limit warrant indicated a “40 km/h speed limit is warranted on Waterbury Drive based on the two existing curves where the safe speed is less than 50 km/h,” a December city staff report indicates.